Want to keep your job? Get more education

A recent survey by the Career College Association reported that 9 out of 10 Americans think college is important for career opportunities and 67% believe that education is the key to competitiveness in the global economy. Turns out education can also be the key to keeping your job in an economic downturn. Recent employment numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that not only do people with more education earn more, but in tough times like these, education provides a buffer against unemployment. The unemployment rate for people with a bachelor's degree or higher as of October 2009 was 4.6%. However, compare that to the percent of people out of work with less than a high school diploma-- 14%. When it comes to unemployment, 10% is a lot. The desire for more employment options is also fueling a spike in enrollment of adults returning to school.

The good news is that technology can help. First, it allows you to build a persuasive argument to inspire your kids. You can find employment and earning potential numbers at the click of a mouse (including charts) at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website so you can show your kids at the dinner table why it's so important to get an education. (Make sure you translate the numbers into a currency your kids will understand, like clothes or cars.)

More importantly, however, communications technologies make education available to people--both young and old--for whom it was previously out of reach. Traditional higher education programs can be prohibitive for a number of reasons: cost, geography, admission requirements, or home and family demands. Also, according to a report by Howell, Williams, and Lindsay Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning, the current higher education infrastructure isn't equipped to handle the number of college-bound students coming down the pipeline, not to mention the swelling number of nontraditional students looking to further their education and career options. In 2001, 42% of all students were over age 25. Adult learners are the fastest growing segment of the higher education population.

Brick and mortar institutions can't offer the flexibility to facilitate the needs of many, particularly adult learners, so it's exciting to see different solutions using distance learning models springing up. For example, the Big Bend Community College has established satellite "Community Knowledge Centers" to provide broadband access to their programs. The military is instituting a virtual school program to help the kids in military families stay on track through frequent relocations. The Conterra Telecom Services is connecting eight high schools in the Navajo Nation to the Northeast Arizona Technological Institute of Vocational Education. Where the average distance between high schools is 101 miles and 78% of student have to travel over unpaved roads to school, providing high speed Internet access can make a huge difference.

With the technology we have today, there is no reason why quality education cannot be available to anyone who wants it. In a perfect world, everyone would have a chance to stroll leisurely past ivy-covered halls carrying a swell book bag on their way to a lecture by a Nobel laureate. But it's not. Only about 25% of the population is able to attend a four-year college. Distance education is a powerful way to help expand access and options to the rest.

Contrary to widely-held beliefs, distance-learning is not a sorry second best. It is possible to have very meaningful relationships and learning experiences in asynchronous environments. I know. I've been on both sides of the equaiton. Just like in face-to-face courses, much of the success of an online course is due to the energy the teacher and students invest. But it is the convenience and flexibility in scheduling of the distance learning format that allows most students to continue their education. While there are potential downsides, of course, the disadvantages are vastly outweighed by the alternative--no education.

The U.S. could learn from places like India's Indira Ghandhi National Open University. It provides educational opportunities through distance and open education targeting disadvantaged populations. There are kids working as busboys working in Kuwait studying to be engineers, thanks to this system. We should take notice of both the opportunity and the motivation and energy of so many who are working to take advantage of it.

The world is becoming a smaller place, thanks to technology. This means that competition for jobs, not just goods, is in a global market. The disparity in unemployment across education levels is an example of this trend. If you haven't seen the viral video "Did You Know" on YouTube, watch it to get an idea of the magnitude of this global shift.

Unemployment numbers underscore the importance of an education in slow economic times. But in the global economy, we not only need to get an education, we need to keep learning.

Formal education may in many cases prepare us better for jobs than for life. I agree that the type of education matters. In a rapidly changing world, the ability to use information is much more important than just having information. There is an interesting trend with businesses looking to increase creative thinking and productivity by hiring people with creative arts as well as business backgrounds. Check out Daniel Pink's "A Whole New Mind" for that perspective.
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Pam

Perhaps getting more education may mean HS to AA degree. I doubt it means anything greater. Many employers are biased against those with high education, especially beyond the Bachelor's degree. I wonder where these jobs are that want intelligent, highly educated people? I think articles like these are made up so that people like my friends and I can feel good about having Master's Degrees but the truth is that unless you get a job IN education, most companies don't seem to want to hire anyone with more than an AA, perhaps a BA/BS degree.

I agree with the comment above. Education does not prepare you for life. It makes you think that you will be treated equally regardless of race and gender as you are in the classroom. It makes you think that high performance and hard work is valued. The reality is that you will NOT be treated fairly because of race and gender nor will you be paid appropriately. The reality is that nepotism, false loyalty and a desire for mediocrity is what is rewarded in the work place not, high performance and a strong work ethic. I would encourage anyone to disregard this article before you end up with thousands in debt for a degree that won't matter since few companies care or are willing to see past race and/or gender.

The trouble with numbers, though, is that they are averages. This means individual experiences can be very different since we don't live "on average." When my daughter was born with a congenital heart defect, it wasn't much comfort to know that the odds were 8 in 10,000. Nor do statistics mean it's a perfectly fair world. But neither is it always unfair. Discrimination is not stopped by getting out of the game.

Your experience to the contrary, all the evidence on education suggests that it does pay. But it isn't the facts people learn in school, it's critical thinking, good communication skills, exposure to new ideas, diverse populations and beliefs, and the ability to synthesize what you learn into applications.

What field you study and what career you aspire to matter also makes a difference. Skills in demand, such as science, engineering, and business, command higher earnings than those in liberal arts.

There are also societal benefits to higher education from increased productivity to more tax revenues.

I agree that nepotism and loyalty, false or otherwise, are probably rewarded in the marketplace. You are also right about pay differences for the different sexes: Female college graduates earn more than males in major U.S. cities.

Also, college education alone does not adequately prepare you for life. But if you do some research, you will find that many employers do require a bachelor's degree or more.

I remember some students saying that their college education helped them "think better" but I didn't notice that in my own case. I know some high school graduates who think as well or better than I do.

However, I do not remember being told that I would be treated equally to those of different race or sex. Perhaps we should just learn to "deal with it" or adapt and do the best we can under the circumstances.

Thanks very much for pointing out the new version of the "Did You Know" video with links! It's a testimony to how fast things change! Version 4 really drives home the point about technical convergence and social media. I like Version 3 in the context of education since it shows the relative size of India and China's populations to the U.S. (And the music in version 3 was much more compelling!)
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Pam

I agree with the author that there is nothing like a college degree to back you up during recessionary times. According to statistics, the jobless rate for people with a bachelor’s degree is half of the overall jobless rate in the country. Besides, employers will appreciate professionals who show an interest in upgrading their skills through higher degrees. College America offers accredited degree programs in healthcare, computers, business, and graphic arts. A high quality degree program will go a long way in ensuring that your future is secure.

Education and especially targeted education is a key tool to live your life in the upcoming time of living war. If you are not equipped with suitable war tools (Skilled) just think you are not going to win this battle of life.